Bio


Mark Granovetter's main interest is in the way people, social networks and social institutions interact and shape one another. He has written extensively on this subject, including his two most widely cited articles "The Strength of Weak Ties" (1973) and "Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness" (1985). In recent years, his focus has been on the social foundations of the economy, and he is working on a book entitled Society and Economy, to be published by Harvard University Press in two volumes. The first volume, Society and Economy: Framework and Principles,appeared in 2017. It is broadly theoretical, treating the role in the economy of social networks, norms, culture, trust, power, and social institutions. The second volume will use this framework to illuminate the study of such important topics as corruption, corporate governance, organizational form and the emergence of new industries such as the American electricity industry and the high-tech industry of Silicon Valley.

Academic Appointments


Honors & Awards


  • Honorary Doctoral degree, Stockholm University (1996)
  • Honorary Doctoral Degree, Sciences Po, Paris (2006)
  • Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2007)
  • Fellow, Network Science Society (inaugural class) (2018)
  • Member, National Academy of Sciences (2020)

Program Affiliations


  • Public Policy
  • Science, Technology and Society

2024-25 Courses


Stanford Advisees


All Publications


  • Attitudes towards Social Networking and Sharing Behaviors among Consumers of Direct-to-Consumer Personal Genomics. Journal of personalized medicine Lee, S. S., Vernez, S. L., Ormond, K. E., Granovetter, M. 2013; 3 (4): 275-287

    Abstract

    Little is known about how consumers of direct-to-consumer personal genetic services share personal genetic risk information. In an age of ubiquitous online networking and rapid development of social networking tools, understanding how consumers share personal genetic risk assessments is critical in the development of appropriate and effective policies. This exploratory study investigates how consumers share personal genetic information and attitudes towards social networking behaviors.Adult participants aged 23 to 72 years old who purchased direct-to-consumer genetic testing from a personal genomics company were administered a web-based survey regarding their sharing activities and social networking behaviors related to their personal genetic test results.80 participants completed the survey; of those, 45% shared results on Facebook and 50.9% reported meeting or reconnecting with more than 10 other individuals through the sharing of their personal genetic information. For help interpreting test results, 70.4% turned to Internet websites and online sources, compared to 22.7% who consulted their healthcare providers. Amongst participants, 51.8% reported that they believe the privacy of their personal genetic information would be breached in the future.Consumers actively utilize online social networking tools to help them share and interpret their personal genetic information. These findings suggest a need for careful consideration of policy recommendations in light of the current ambiguity of regulation and oversight of consumer initiated sharing activities.

    View details for DOI 10.3390/jpm3040275

    View details for PubMedID 25562728

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4251386

  • The role of venture capital firms in Silicon Valley's complex innovation network ECONOMY AND SOCIETY Ferrary, M., Granovetter, M. 2009; 38 (2): 326-359
  • Electric charges: The social construction of rate systems Annual Meeting of the American-Sociological-Association Yakubovich, V., Granovetter, M., McGuire, P. SPRINGER. 2005: 579–612
  • The impact of social structure on economic outcomes JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Granovetter, M. 2005; 19 (1): 33-50
  • Ignorance, knowledge, and outcomes in a small world SCIENCE Granovetter, M. 2003; 301 (5634): 773-774
  • Coase encounters and formal models: Taking Gibbons seriously ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE QUARTERLY Granovetter, M. 1999; 44 (1): 158-162